EXOTAC ripSPOOL Field Repair Kit (Black)

Item as described, arrived promptly. 5 star

Expensive, but handy. Nothing You could'nt make by Yourself for nearly nothing. But kinda nice and practical.

Great gadget, strong thread, but I would love to have some refill capabilities (extra thread, extra tape). High quality, highly recommend as backup for travel!

The cost of all the parts in this is about $5.50, as its some 100 mph tape, a needle, and some heavy duty thread on a spool. For over $30, that's a nice mark-up. I'm all for US made, but this isn't Mil-Spec and shouldn't be priced as such. Half the price and its closer to 5 stars.

Was a bit disappointed with the item. It is made well, but not thought through - does not look field-tested. My major frustrations are: *There is only one needle* There is a lot of space in the screw, but there is very little chance to fit more than one needle well. The nub itself is rather large, but has only a tiny hole, only enough for one needle. If that one needle grows legs or has its ear broken, you are SOL. *Thread holding* There is nothing worse than to put this in your pack, rattle up the mountain and find the damn string uncoiled in your backpack... So now you are stuck putting that thread back on the spool. There is no "clip" or "hold" for the string to easily secure it from not unspinning in-motion. I've tried to pinch it with the screw-on that hold the needle, but no such luck, since the thread and screw are opposites and the thread gets undone with the last twists to secure the block. Other then that the item was nicely light and comfortable to carry, which was a surprising bonus. Tape looks like a good quality, but time will tell how much it degrades in the elements while being carried around. Needle is sturdy too. You can "fix" the issue with the thread holding by removing it and putting it back on the spool the other way, so it secures in the main screw, but who has time for that.